Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Ike Wister Turner (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer, best known for his work with his then wife Tina Turner as one half of the Ike & Tina Turner duo. Spanning a career that lasted half a century, Ike's repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk. Alongside his former wife, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Turner is said to have been married 14 times but he has only been known to have married four times publicly. Turner's first marriage was to Lorraine Taylor, who had two sons with Ike. The facts surrounding his second marriage, to Anna Mae Bullock (otherwise known as Tina Turner), have been hotly debated. It is believed that Ike married Tina in 1962 due to worries over being sued for child support and alimony payments by Taylor. The ceremony is claimed to have taken place in Tijuana, Mexico, and Tina had a son with Ike. However, their marriage was overshadowed by Ike's constant abuse towards her. Tina filed for divorce and it was finalized in 1978, with Ike keeping every asset attained during the marriage. Ike is said to have openly cheated on Tina with other women, one of which was former Ikette Ann Thomas, whom he had a baby by and whom he later married in 1981. In 1995, he married yet another Ikette, Jeanette Bazzell. Ike has four known children: sons, Ike Jr., Michael and Ronald and daughter, Mia.

In the mid-1980s, Turner suffered a brush with the law when he was convicted of drug-related charges and sentenced to several years in a California state prison. Turner was still in prison pleading parole when he and Tina were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, which Tina accepted on his behalf.

In 2001, Turner's long-awaited autobiography, Takin' Back My Name (ISBN 1-85227-850-1), was published. In Tina Turner's 1986 autobiography I, Tina, later filmed as What's Love Got to Do with It?, Tina accused Ike of violent spousal abuse, which Ike repeatedly denied for many years. However, in his 2001 autobiography Ike admitted, "Sure, I've slapped Tina... There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I never beat her."

Turner has attributed many problems off the stage to his drug and alcohol addiction and intense use of cocaine, resulting in his abusive behavior and relationship with his wife and children. Since being released from prison in 1993, Turner had maintained sobriety and continued playing music.

On October 17, 2007, in a telephone interview conducted by satellite radio personality, Howard Stern, Ike claimed that he and Tina Turner were never actually married, though he did not explain why they shared the same last name.

Turner died on December 12, 2007 at 76 years old at his home in San Marcos, California, near San Diego. [5] The cause of death was not immediately released but Jeanette Bazzell Turner reported that he had emphysema.